Window shade



April 5, 1949. I A. L. THEXTON WINDOW SHADE Filed July 13, 1944 INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 5, 1949 ITED STATES WINDOW SHADE Arthur L. Thexton, .Gincinnati, Qhie, assignonto l p Corp rat o Q ncinnati, -,0.l, .i0, corporation of Maryland Application 31113 13, 1944, Serial N0.-=544fl23 '7 Claims.

This invention relates to window shades a d it .is directed particularly to improvements in the structure of the lower edge.

conventional window shade has a lower edge whi i mmedip v de a p ck t r ec in a stiffening slat of wood to reenforce the lower press a ainst the shade material just above the hem and, after a while, the material along the hem line becomes deteriorated and frequently torn or damaged. Sometimes pull cords or tassels hanging from the lower edge are utilized. If they were handled properly this damage could be avoided but, even when they are present, it is fgund that the ordinary householder still grasps the hemmed vedge instead of pulling on the cord. Even when theshade is not damaged physically conspicuous finger marks and smudges are left at thelower portion of the shade.

Recognizing these difiiculties, the principal objective of the present invention has been to pro- Vflde a shade structure in which the lower edge stiifening member is removable and replaceable,

whereby the stiffening member can be detached f th sha e h so l or .dem eed p rti n of he s ade cu aw y d th s f ening member reassociated with a fresh portion of the shade.

'Briefiy, in accordance with this inventionthe removable foundation piece for ,thelower shade edge is a length of material havin at least one, and preferably two pairs of meeting faces, hinged with respect to one another, between which the de material may be sandwiched after it has been wrapped aroundor within thelength of ma?- terial. In this manner a snubbing action is ob,- tained to hold the shade material within the as.- sernhly. Thus, for instance, the stifiening strip may comprise a length of fibrebcard iolded-twice upon itself; it is used by placing the ed e of the, shade between the meeting faces adjoining the first fold, thenfolding the shade material with the stiffening strip between the second pairof me ting f e adjoining t se hintin ineds an alternative wood or metal strips preferably haying longitudinal complementary serrations at their meetin fa es a e iased, thr ugh cl th pieces or the like and the shadeis placedfirst he:

:2 tween @theiserrated faces then wrapped around the .exterionof the .stifiening members.

aHaving prepared 'ithe assembly of shade and stiffener, itisiheld together by meansof clips at a the ends and center if desirable, or by meansof other suitable fasteners such as screws or cleats.

:Stifiening strips of the .folded paper or fibreboard :type preferably have durable exterior surfaces inasmuch as theyzmaybe exposed. 'Forinstance, they-may becovered with calendered or glossy paper or protected with suitable paint, varnishor fabric such thati-t may be washedwhen necessary. After the shade with this lower stiffenededgezhas been-inusefora period of time and has become damaged .or soiled the stiffening strip isdetached through removal of the holding clips (and-lift cord if employed) then unfolded or unhinged to :separatexthestrip from the shade. The housewife next. may cut -offithe soiled partof the shade material, for instance, she may sever-a marginalportion of, .saypfour to six inches,-and then .reassociate the strip and shade in the manner justdescribed. These operations take but a iew- :moments time; :the line along which the shade is cut need not be exactly straight ines! muchzas the :severededge is.concealed within the meeting faces of thestiffening strip. Theline, of .course, should be substantially horizontal or substantially lateral with respect to the shade but the .cutting can be done with a scissors without dismantling the shade from its brackets on the window.

:Inorder to permit soiled or damaged portions of shade material to be removed from time to time without shortening the shade'to such a degree that itwill no longer .cover the full height of the Window, :the invention contemplates the provision of shades somewhat longer than those conventionally used, theext-ra length of material bein woundas additional convolutions upon the shade roller. In this manner the supply of extra shade :material may-not be noticed yet it is available when needed.

One typical structure embodying these principles is disclosed in the drawings in which:

Figure 1-is--an elevation of a shade having its one end mounted upon a shade roller and its other end having the removable stiffening strip attached-thereto.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line .Z-.2 ,oiFi u Eigure 3 is, a fragmentary perspective View, showin t e hade i e pr ess of be ng rr ded up wi h .the-st fienlng strip.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a view of a modified structure showing the employment of a screw in place of a pull cord for holding the layers of the stiffening together at the central portion of the shade.

Figure 6 is a view of another modified form of structure in which a pair of stiffening strips of wood, metal, plastic or the like are hinged together, within which the shade material is snubbed.

The shade roller I and the manner in which the shade 2 is associated with the roller may be conventional; they form no part of the present inoutermost sections 4 and 6 may be equipped with metal grommets I0, if desirable, for additional protection. When the stiffening strip is associated with the shade a hole may be poked through the shade material behind the apertures by means of a pen or pencil and the pull cord II can then be entered through the opening for association with the lower shade edge in the usual manner.

If a pull cord is not to be employed then a blunt screw of the type sometimes used to hold a pull cord may be employed, the threads of the screw vention and, therefore, are not disclosed here in detail. The shade, designated 2 in the drawings, is rolled upon the roller through a number of convolutions and the free portion depends from the roller in the usual manner. It is to be observed as just described that the length of the shade as a whole should be sufficient to cover the window area and, in addition, provide some excess which serves as a supply to compensate for portions at the other end which are removed from time to time.

The stiffening strip, indicated generally at 3, comprises a length of material commensurate with the width of the shade delineated into at least three longitudinal sections 4, 5 and 6 by means of suitable score lines 7. The sections 4, 5 and 6 preferably are of substantially equal width such that the outer sections 4 and 6 may be folded over one another without marginal protrusions. This element may be constructed of cardboard, fiberboard or other types of paperboard which are inherently stiff and rigid in longitudinal directions yet suificiently flexible laterally to be folded without cracking. At least one surface of the strip, which later may form an outer or exposed surface, is suitably protected through an applied layer of finishing composition, glossy paper, cellophane or fabric. The exposed surface may be of the same material from which the shade is made in order that the shade and lower stiffened edge Will be of uniform appearance.

For association of the stiffening strip with the shade in a typical manner one of the outer marginal portions, e. g., 6 is folded over the central section 5 in the form of a roll fold and the marginal edge of the shade material is then disposed between these sections. Next, these folded sections and shade material are folded asa unit against the shade and other section, e. g., 4. Such an operation is illustrated in Figure 3. In this manner the edge of the first folded section 6 is caused to serve as a snubber with respect to the shade material and thus prevents detachment of the shade from the sandwich.

For a permanent installation adhesive may be applied between the layers to unite them. However, for removable association of the stiffening strip and shade material clips 8 are utilized to prevent the roll or pile from unfolding. The clips may be of U-shape to embrace the sidewise of vertical edges of the assembly as shown in Figure 1. In this position they are inconspicuous yet readily may be removed. The clips preferably are yieldable whereby they may be spread apart slightly, then slipped over the outer faces of the assembly, and released to hold the laminations one against another.

At the central portion of the shade apertures 9 may be provided in the stiffening strip, in positions for alignment with one another when the stiffening strip is folded. The apertures in the being of relatively heavy pitch so as to find purchase in the layers of the stiffening strip.

Paperboard, fiberboard and the like readily may be folded upon itself whereby the hinged action between the meeting faces takes place along the fold lines to enable the introduction of the shade material into the roll or pile. However, the conventional type of inexpensive paperboard or fibreboard which is sufliciently thick to provide the desired longitudinal stiffness tends to crack when folded upon itself, while other types of paperboard which posses the desired foldability are quite expensive. It is not necessary for the utilization of this invention that the stiffening material be foldable upon itself. Meeting faces may be hinged by supplemental means such as cloth or paper adhesively united to the foundation members. An arrangement of this sort in which a material such as wood, plastic or metal is employed because of its desirable longitudinal rigidity is shown in Figure 6.

According to this structure two strips I2 are utilized. These have meeting faces containing complementary longitudinal serrations designated at l3 while the outer surfaces of the strips may be of a somewhat curved or rounded shape. These strips l2 are hinged one to another by the flexible sheet hinge I4 whereby the meeting faces may be separated along the longitudinal line ii. In this assembly the lower marginal edge of the shade I6 is placed between the meeting faces, the longitudinal serrations thereof acting to provide a snubbing action which is supplemented to a further degree by the wrapping of the assembly around the exterior of the stiffeners l2. These strips may be held together by means of U- shaped clips at the ends of the stiffening strip or by means of one or more screws l1 passing from one strip into the other.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a window shade of a stiffening strip overfolded, with the shade, along the lower edge thereof, and individual removable fastening elements attachable to said strip for holding the folds one against another.

2. The combination with a Window shade of a stiffening strip comprising fibrous sheet material folded upon itself at least twice, the lower marginal portion of the said window shade being interposed between at least two of the folded layers, whereby a longitudinal edge of at least one of the layers exerts a snubbing action upon the sheet material to prevent detachment thereof from the stiffening strip.

3. The combination with a window shade of a stiffening strip constructed of fibrous sheet material of substantial thickness which is folded longitudinally upon itself at least twice, with the lower marginal portion of the shade being interposed between the folded layers of the stiffening strip, and means for holding the layers of the assembly one against another.

4. The combination with a window shade of a stifiening strip constructed of fibrous sheet material of substantial thickness which is over-folded longitudinally upon itself at least twice, with the lower marginal portion of the sheet material being interposed between the over-folded layers of the stiffening strip, and means for holding the layers of the assembly one against another.

5. The combination with a window shade of a stiffening strip constructed of fibrous sheet material of substantial thickness which is over-folded longitudinally upon itself at least twice, with the lower marginal portion of the sheet material being interposed between the over-folded layers of the stiffening strip and means for holding the layers of the assembly one against another, comprising U-shaped clips embracing the outermost of the layers at the endwise portions of said strip.

6. The combination with a window shade of a stiffening strip, comprising at least two marginal sections folded one over another, the said window shade being disposed at opposite sides of one of the marginal over-folded sections, and means for holding said over-folded sections and window shade in the form of a folded roll.

7. The combination with a window shade of a stiffening strip, comprising at least two marginal sections folded one over another, the said window shade being disposed at opposite sides of one of the marginal over-folded sections, and means for holding said over-folded sections and window shade in the form of a folded pile, comprising U-shaped clip members embracing th outer of said sections.

ARTHUR L. THEXTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 591,674 Miley Oct. 12, 1897 1,339,339 Hoffman May 1, 1920 1,454,406 Rand May 8, 1923 1,749,223 Mott Marzi, 1930 1,780,556 Kallin Nov. 4, 1930 1,840,217 Van Wie Jan. 5, 1932 2,293,054 Freedman Aug. 1-8, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 15,364 Great Britain July 3, 1907 

